For the third year in a row I am participating in Buy Nothing Day. It is not really a hardship I’ll have to admit.
I hate shopping and you’d have to pay me a very large sum to go out on Black Friday!
The thing I hate most about this time of the year is the over-commercialization of the holidays. People buying stuff for stuff’s sake whether they need it or not. Just because it is “a good deal.” If you are up to your neck in credit card debt, putting a good deal on a credit card no longer makes it a good deal.
There is also the never-ending obligation to buy presents because it is expected, not because you want to.
Ugh, I am not a fan.
But…to each his own and although I participate gladly in the Buy Nothing Day I don’t begrudge you if you don’t.
How about you? What’s your opinion on holiday shopping and Black Friday?
I had never really thought about it until this post, but you’re so right about the over commercialization. I’ve actually never gone shopping on Black Friday and I plan to keep that up today.
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
I am in agreement with you – and never shop on Black Friday. It seems with the way the economy has been, people would think twice about going out and buying more stuff just because it’s the holiday season.
I usually go out in the afternoon, but only on a mission to find Xmas presents for people (which I LOVE giving). I don’t just buy to buy. That makes me sick to my stomach to think.
Have a great week from a fellow Dream Team Member.
@AndiP, good luck and stay zen!
@Cherie, people just keep piling on the credit card debt, no lessons learned….
@Susan, I have never been a shopper, but when I was married to my 1st husband his family was and I remember being dragged out of bed at 3AM by my ex-mom-and sister-in-law to go shopping – it was crazy! Never again!
I stayed out of the stores today too…Not a big fan of major crowds or shopping malls, especially today. xxoo
Love your post Andi. I most definitely agree with you…I like to call “Black Friday” the day where everyone decides that they’re not tight with money and the day where everyone forgets that we’re in a recession. It’s just another day of mass consumption and another way to get into more debt for those deals which are ‘too-good-to-be-true’.
Definitely hate the trivial need for consumption – did you know that the reason there isn’t as much rampant credit card debit in this country is that when you have a credit card (like an Amex), you choose to either have the funds taken out of your bank account immediately upon purchase (like a debit) or your bill gets atuomatically taken out of your account at the end of the month. Of course, if you don’t have enough funds in your account, you’ll go into the negative, but the system isn’t set up for partial payments with tacked on interest.
I hear though that store credit cards can get people into trouble, but it’s nowhere near like in the States. I don’t need anything THAT badly!
I can remember years ago, after coming into some extra cash, how excited I was for Black Friday. And boy did I shop: I got so much stuff for people, mainly because, for the first time, I could actually afford to. Some of those things never got used for the people they were for, and I can look back now and see that I didn’t put nearly as much thought into those gifts as I had years before. Nowadays I know better. I did go out on Black Friday this year, to buy one small gift for my husband that I probably couldn’t have afforded otherwise, but I sure was glad to avoid the rest of the stores that day.
There is nothing on the planet that I, or anyone I know, needs so badly that I have to subject myself to Black Friday… we let the media totally brainwash us by participating.
Guess, that sums up how I feel!!!!
I LOVE buy nothing day! I’m all for it!! I must admit that is something I do NOT miss in the USA, the shopping excess. Here in Paris it seems like it’s mostly the tourists partaking in the buying frenzy. Though I do miss the bargains…
I wish I’d seen this before – THIS is how I normally do “Black Friday” – I refuse to leave my house that day, normally – and preferably, leave the country from October until after Easter I’m so fed up with holidays “in your face” and American commercialism. I try to keep things simple, genuine, and remember the reason for the season – and often have nice celebrations with friends, but I’ve found spending time abroad, experiencing other realities during this time of year gives one a fresh perspective. Thanks for the post – I’ve been feeling a bit scroog-ey and have even left my facebook account locked until after all this holiday stuff is over.
@Valerie, my hubby and I do the same. The first week of November we buy everything we will need (paper towels, toilet paper, bottled water, etc) until January so we don’t have to go back to the stores wen they are crazy!